1. Field
The inventions herein relate in general to automation technology.
2. Description of Related Information
In automation technology, for the construction of control equipment of different manufacturers, appropriate I/O modules of a great variety are offered, from which, as with a construction kit, different components can be selected and mutually combined for the given control problem to be solved. The construction of corresponding control units occurs in switching cabinets, within which the I/O modules are usually arranged next to each other on transversely extending rails. Here, the transversely extending and standardized rails, also referred to as mounting rails, provide only a mechanical attachment function. The electrical linking of the I/O modules to each other occurs by individual single wiring or also by BUS systems, as is known from DE 44 02 002 B4.
The establishment of the individual single wiring represents a time consuming and error prone task which is carried out manually and in a time consuming manner by an electrician.
To reduce the installation effort, several approaches are known from the prior art, in order to route the power supply or signal lines required by several I/O modules in the same way, in the sense of a BUS system or a mutual cross-jumpering, by means of corresponding contacting systems from I/O module to I/O module.
In DE 44 02 002 B4, an I/O module is described, which can produce, via side wall contacts in the side surfaces, an electrical cross connection with the directly adjacent modules. The side contacts here are designed as pressure contacts which at all times tend to press the modules apart sideways. This is opposed, by holding together a group of mutually contacting modules, by means of end angles mounted on the support rail, or alternatively by the fact that the individual modules have corresponding hook-shaped projections and recesses on their side surfaces, which mutually engage at the time of the assembly of the modules and in this manner mechanically prevent moving apart.
DE 20 2010 006 065 U1 describes an I/O module in which cross-jumpering via a fork contact occurs. The bottom side of the module housing for this purpose has a groove which allows the introduction of a blade contact of an adjacent I/O module, so that the introduction of the blade contact of the adjacent module from below through the groove into the fork contact of the I/O module is made possible. Here, the fork contact is closed by the sideways mutual insertion of the I/O modules in the assembly direction (direction of the normal of the mounting rail), so that the arrangement m is substantially free of transverse forces in the axis along the mounting rail.
In comparison to DE 44 02 002 B4, in DE 20 2010 006 065 U1 no or at least clearly lower resilient forces pushing the module packet apart occur. However, as a result it is not possible to detach a single module from a module group mounted on the mounting rail. Rather, the module described in DE 20 2010 006 065 U1 requires a grouping of the modules before the assembly on the mounting rail or before disassembly of the entire group to replace an individual module.